Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries: More than $5 billion losses since Article 370 repealed

[Rellu_Katta]

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad on Monday said that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir was worrisome and the economy has suffered since the Centre’s August 5 decision. Addressing a press conference after his week-long visit to the state, Azad said: “The atmosphere of J&K is one of fear, and since it became a union territory, the Centre has been threatening the local administration.”



Businesses in both Jammu and Kashmir have been shut for close to two months now, which has derailed the economy of the state, he said.

Everything that reaches Kashmir goes from Jammu. So the shopkeepers of Kashmir town and rural areas are completely dependent on Jammu, therefore, due to shut down the business in Jammu is zero,” the senior Congress leader said.



Questioning the decision of the Centre to revoke the special status and bifurcate the state, Azad said that Kashmir has been under siege for over 50 days. “Everything is not okay in both Jammu and in Kashmir, several ruling party leaders are also not speaking due to fear of their national leaders,” Azad added.



Reacting to the announcement of Block Development Council elections in the state, Azad said that it will be a mockery of democracy if the block and district level elections are conducted when political leaders of mainstream parties in the state have been either detained or under house arrest. He alleged that the dates were announced after the BJP successfully defected most local leaders at Panchayat level. “These elections were not allowed during the Governor’s rule, now that all political leaders have been detained and under house arrest, the government has announced an election,” Azad told the media.


The former J&K chief minister demanded the release of political leaders and that elections be denotified.

Earlier on Sunday, Chief Electoral Officer Shailendra Kumar said, “Block Development Council elections will be conducted on October 24 from 9 am till 1 pm, across J&K and counting of votes will start at 3 pm on the same day. The elections will be held on 310 of 316 blocks in the state.”

Asked if the detained mainstream political leaders will be released for campaigning for these polls, he said the present process had a limited electoral college.


Source
https://indianexpress.com/article/i...siness-in-jammu-zero-gulam-nabi-azad-6041997/

 

[sweep_shot]

Feel very bad for the folks in Kashmir.

Curfew needs to be lifted now.

 

[Nostalgic]

A former CM who isn’t under lock and key, and is allowed to visit the state (with permission of course) and to dish out anaemic criticism? Looks like they plan on resurrecting him at some point, and since he’s a Congressi, make it appear plausible.

 

[Abdullah719]

J&K Suffered $5.3 Billion Economic Loss Since August Last Year, Says Civil Society Group

SRINAGAR — Jammu and Kashmir has registered economic losses to the tune of a staggering Rs 40,000 crore (USD 5.3 billion) since August 2019 when the Indian government revoked the special constitutional status under the Article 370 and enforced a military lockdown in the region, says the latest report by a civil society group of prominent Indians, including Justice Madan B Lokur, former judge of the Supreme Court of India, Prof Radha Kumar, former interlocutor for Jammu and Kashmir.

The data is based on the estimates by the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI).

“Estimated industry losses during the period January-July 2020 amount to another Rs.22,000 crores (roughly USD 2.9 billion), bringing the total losses for the period August 2019-June 2020, as estimated by the KCCI, to almost Rs. 40,000 crores (USD 5.3 billion),” says the report.

Spoiler

The significant report on the Himalayan state that has been under an unprecedented lockdown since last August notes that the local and regional industries have suffered heavy losses in almost every sector. “Before the lockdown of August 2019, Jammu and Kashmir was one of the better performing states. However by the end December 2019, the economy of the valley was in dire straits. In four months of the lockdown, the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) said, Kashmir’s industries suffered a loss of Rs.17,878.18 crores (roughly USD 2.4 billion), while job losses in the valley were just under half a million (497,000).”

Fruit Industry Hit

The fruit industry, the mainstay of Kashmir economy, lost around 1.35 lakh metric tons of its crop due to restricted transport facilities, it adds.

Talking about the situation in the region, particularly Kashmir since August last year, the report titled ‘Jammu and Kashmir: The Impact of Lockdowns on Human Rights’ notes that there have been “systematic violations of human rights in Jammu and Kashmir from August 4, 2019 to date.”

The civil society group called ‘The Forum for Human Rights in Jammu and Kashmir’ that has prepared this report includes leading intellectuals, former bureaucrats, retired generals, and academicians including Nirupama Rao, former foreign secretary, historian Ramachandra Guha, Major General Ashok Mehta, Air Vice Marshal Kapil Kak (retd.), Justice Bilal Nazki and Gopal Pillai, former Home Secretary, Government of India.

Illegal Detentions

The report has taken cognizance of detentions of political and civil society leaders, young children, recurring Internet shutdown, unprecedented economic losses, and destruction of civilian homes and properties during gunfights between the security forces and militants.

The authors of report point out that their findings have been arrived at with an eye on the human rights provisions and protection provided by the Indian constitution and international human rights law.

The report notes that the Modi government at the Centre has been prioritising counter-insurgency concerns over human security which has led to an across the board violation of human rights, including the vitiation of protections such as habeas corpus, prevention of illegal detention, strict restrictions on arrest and detention of children, right to bail and fair and speedy trial.

The report criticises the Modi government for “misusing draconian legislation, such as the Public Safety Act (PSA) and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), to stifle dissent.”

Detention of Children

Raising questions at the statistics offered by the government, the report released Wednesday expressed sadness over the observation of the Supreme Court on the detention of children in Kashmir in December last year that petitioners should not be overly alarmed if children are detained for a few hours or for just a day, because in certain situations it is for their own good. “However, in law, illegal detentions still remain illegal, whatever the quantum of time,” point out the authors.

In March 2020, 437 people were detained, 389 of them under the PSA. As these figures show, less than a quarter of those detained under the PSA between August 2019 and March 2020 were released. Moreover, political detainees were not allowed visits by their families and/or colleagues for several months, points out the report.

While criticising the arbitrary enforcement of section 144 to impose restriction on public movement in the state, the report notes that Supreme Court’s guidelines as set out in the January judgement were not followed:

“Section 144 cannot be imposed merely because of likelihood of danger, but only to immediately prevent specific acts that may lead to danger,” It asserted, “Indefinite restrictions under Section 144 are unconstitutional.”

Death Blow to Kashmir Media

While commenting on the situation in the media, the report says the local media has been one of the worst sufferers. It terms the newly inducted media policy as “a death blow to an independent media and the freedom of expression”.

The report also mentions the UAPA cases against Kashmiri journalists. While commenting on the case against photojournalist Masarat Zahra, the report states: “Telling such a story through photographs has not been classified as an unlawful activity and any attempt to do so would clearly violate the freedom of the media.”

Schools Shut

According to the report, between August 2019 and March 2020, the number of days that schools which were open came to a mere two weeks. During the Covid-19 lockdown, the ban on high-speed Internet has made the online classes “a charade”.

An unnamed teacher quoted in the report says: “As a consequence of the abrogation of Article 370, Kashmiri students had to remain away from school for a period of 8 whole months. Now, as these students were ready to go back to school and resume education, the (COVID) outbreak pushed them inside their homes once again, that too with just 2G internet. To battle this prolonged shut-down, while the teacher’s community, along the lines of the world, is trying to conduct classes online… It is a major task.”

The continued disruption of Internet services has impacted the mental health of children. The report has found that the children feel “mentally drained,” “less tolerant and aggressive,” and a sense of “desperation at not being able to access the internet”.

While talking about the impact of Internet shutdown, the report quotes a PhD student as saying, “intermittent complete shutdown of internet services has created unpredictability whether we will have internet services in the next hour or day or week is uncertain here.”

The impact on education has been particularly severe. Schools and colleges functioned for barely 100 days between 2019 and 2020. After the pandemic lockdown, limiting networks to 2G has made it impossible for online classes to function adequately, the report says.

New Domicile Rules

The report states that the new domicile rules announced by the Ministry of Home Affairs in March 2020 allowing residency to non-locals have created fears of even greater unemployment.

Recommendations

The report urges the Indian government to take several steps in addressing the human rights situation in Kashmir. These include: release of political leaders, amendment of the PSA, strict implementation of juvenile protection legislation, withdraw UAPA charges against journalists and activists and rollback the new media policy and encourage all shades of opinion to be freely and peacefully expressed.

The report further recommends that the authorities curb the application of Section 144, compensate families whose houses have been destroyed in gunfights, hold police and paramilitary personnel who harass civilians at checkpoints accountable, restore 4G internet and mobile services in toto, reinstate Jammu and Kashmir Human Rights Commission and the Jammu and Kashmir Women and Child Rights Commission, compensate local businesses that were forced to shut down due to the government lockdown between August 2019 and March 2020.

The exhaustive report by leading Indian intellectuals, academics, former bureaucrats and generals talks of “systematic violations of human rights in Jammu and Kashmir since August last year

“Kashmir has in many ways been the litmus test of Indian democracy. As this report indicates, we have failed miserably,” observe the authors.

https://clarionindia.net/jk-suffere...ce-august-last-year-says-civil-society-group/

 

[sweep_shot]

$5.3 billions!

Can they recover from this loss? Big damage.

 

[Justcrazy]

Modi is puppet in the hands of RSS . They are a pure terror organisation , who want to eliminate minorities.

 

[Abdullah719]

One year on, India’s lockdowns ruin occupied Kashmir’s economy

A year ago, Abdul Rashid was making a living by selling flowers to tourists in hundreds of ornate pinewood houseboats in Dal Lake in Srinagar, the main city in Indian-occupied Kashmir.

When India suddenly scrapped disputed Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status, followed by an unprecedented security clampdown, economic ruin ensued.

“It was not just a political change. It destroyed our livelihood,” said Rashid, 60, who has now turned to growing vegetables to feed his family.

Days before the August 5, 2019, decision by the central government in New Delhi, authorities asked hundreds of thousands of tourists, Hindu pilgrims and migrant workers to leave the territory, shutting its economy. Since then, tens of thousands of jobs have been lost.

After a series of political blunders, broken promises and a crackdown on dissent, Kashmiri fighters launched a full-blown armed revolt in 1989, seeking unification with Pakistan or complete independence.

India dubbed the struggle ‘terrorism’ abetted by Pakistan, a charge Islamabad denies.

Hundreds of the colourful hand-carved houseboats, known as shikaras, lie deserted, mostly anchored still on the desolate lake. Hotels are empty and there are hardly any tourists.

Some businesses had resumed with the partial lifting of the security and communication clampdown earlier this year. However, Indian authorities enforced another harsh lockdown in March to combat the coronavirus pandemic, further emaciating the local economy.

The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries pegged the economic loses in the region at $5.3 billion and about half a million jobs lost since August last year.

The seven-decade-old Hotel Standard in Srinagar had a staff of 30, according to its manager Khurshid Ahmed. Now there are just three. The only activity inside the once-bustling place is by the cleaning staff.

Mohammed Rajab, a taxi driver for 37 years, hasn’t been hired even once since last August. “I parked my taxi at our stand few days before August 5 last year. It’s still there along with 250 others,” he said.

Tens of thousands of daily wage workers, like Rajab, have suffered the most.

Mohammad Lateef, a boatman, used to ferry tourists around the lake. He now sells cucumbers and cigarettes to locals along its banks.

“We’ve not earned a single penny for a year now,” said Ghulam Qadir Ota, a houseboat owner. “All we have are these boats. We don’t have any other means to earn.”

https://www.dawn.com/news/1572350/one-year-on-indias-lockdowns-ruin-occupied-kashmirs-economy

 

[cricket.mad]

Modi is puppet in the hands of RSS . They are a pure terror organisation , who want to eliminate minorities.

They surely doesn't want to eliminate minorities.. they want majority domination..thats it...infia was never ruled by majority ideology from independence and that grouse was there in large sections of people,which has materialized now

 

[MenInG]

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Sunday said the abrogation of the erstwhile state’s special status had neither ushered in development nor put an end to terrorism as being narrated by some vested interests in New Delhi.

Speaking at a webinar , Abdullah, a Lok Sabha member and president of the National Conference (NC), said the government took the decision on the abrogation of the special status without consulting anyone from J&K.

“It was passed in one day in Rajya Sabha and another day in Lok Sabha,” he said and added that the narrative sold by the government is that Kashmir would now become a part of India. “We were always part of India holding the tricolour,” Abdullah said.

BJP leader Priya Sethi and former MLC Surinder Ambardar countered Abdullah and said the abrogation of Article 370 provisions had become necessary to ensure all-round development. “One year is little time to assess the benefits, give us some time and you will see for yourself,” Sethi said.

“Article 370 was a continuation of the two-nation theory which gave rise to Pakistan in 1947,” Ambardar said.

“What changed which forced them (to take such a decision)? This was the agenda of the BJP to abrogate it and so it projected it that development will be pouring in from the top, industrialists will come in and the whole map will change. UTs become states but states never become UTs,” Abdullah said.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/indi...oq-abdullah/story-23rObQ2tyn3epkj80VBFlI.html

 

[Giannis]

India doesn't care if Kashmiris die from hunger and poverty, they're just colonial subjects to them.